Topic: Gary Vikan, author of Sacred and Stolen, Confession of a Museum Director will talk about the creation of a new antiquities-collecting ecosystem as well as policy changes as they relate to museum storeroom collections, and access to foreign markets.

9:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Panel 1:US Committee of the Blue Shield and US Policy Perspectives on Cultural Heritage in Times of Armed Conflict

Topic: Human rights and law of armed conflict; the Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention; possibilities for USCBS as a consulting organization to the new coordinating committee for cultural heritage protection (this was set up through the Engel legislation).

11:15 a.m. – 11:35 a.m."All That Glitters Is Not Gold":Preserving Heritage Is Not Only about Saving a Work of Art

Patty Gerstenblith, Distinguished Research Professor, DePaul University College of Law, founding President of LCCHP

Topic: Legal and ethical pitfalls in the acquisition of archaeological materials by both museums and private collectors persist. This talk will focus on the values that we should promote in the acquisition and display of archaeological objects: the fostering of knowledge and the connection of cultural heritage to the people and communities who live among the cultural heritage.

11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.Panel 2: Update on the most important current Indigenous peoples issues in Canada and the US

Topic: This session will review the latest developments in heritage issues affecting Indigenous peoples in the U.S. and Canada. Panelists will begin with a discussion of the regulatory framework and policy implications of the Dakota Access Pipeline controversy, including how structural regulatory challenges could lead to similar disputes in the future. They will then provide updates on the international repatriation of indigenous cultural material, including US legislative strategies to prevent theft and trafficking, and recent initiatives in Canada to repatriate tribal objects from domestic and foreign museums, which could serve as a model for future collaborative initiatives in the US and beyond.

Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, Chairwoman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)

Topic: As active participants in the antiquities trade, museums can help sustain a market for licit, well-documented objects. To help diminish the demand for unprovenanced (and recently looted) antiquities, museums can and should require more information from sellers, conduct provenance research themselves, and walk away from poorly-documented objects. Responsible research practices will allow buyers--and sellers--to distinguish the undocumentable from the well-documented antiquity.

Topic: Decades of experience seeking justice for the looting of Cyprus’s cultural heritage through repatriation of its stolen religious artifacts. Author of The Icon Hunter: A Refugee's Quest to Reclaim Her Nation's Stolen Heritage.

CLE credit is available for the following states: NY, CA and PA. Depending on the state, attorneys from other MCLE states may self apply and report their CLE credit to their State Bar. The program is eligible for 2.5 General CLE credits (60 min states) and 3.0 General CLE credits (50 min states). This program is not currently eligible for CLE credit in Virginia.